CHICAGO - The IUPUI basketball team will hit the road one final time during the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 22) when the Jaguars trek north to Chicago to face UIC (13-15, 8-7 HL) at 4:12 p.m. Eastern inside Credit Union 1 Arena. Saturday's game will be aired on ESPN3. 

IUPUI (6-22, 2-13 HL) will close the regular season with back-to-back home games against Oakland (Feb. 27) and Detroit Mercy (Feb. 29) before beginning the Horizon League Tournament. 

As the season winds down, a number of Jaguars continue to pile up impressive numbers, keyed by junior guards Marcus Burk and Jaylen Minnett. The duo is tops in the nation with 178 made threes while Minnett has connected on 97 and is bearing down on becoming just the second player in school history to make 100 in a season. Akeem Clark holds the school record, having made 109 triples during the 2003-04 campaign. In addition, Minnett is closing in on the school record for career threes, having made 226 in an IUPUI uniform - 12 shy of tying Brandon Cole's mark of 238 makes. Minnett owns the nation's second longest active streaks with games with at least one trey, having made one in 64 straight contests dating back to his freshman campaign. The streak is the longest in Horizon League history and is tied for the fifth-longest in NCAA Division I history. 

Meanwhile, Burk leads the Horizon League in scoring in league games, tallying 23.1 points per game, which includes three 30-point outbursts. The Indianapolis-native has scored in double-digits in all 15 Horizon League games and hit for 20-or-more eight times in league play. 

Junior Elyjah Goss makes a return to the Chicagoland-area as one of the nation's top rebounders, ranking No. 2 in total rebounds (322) and No. 6 in rebounds per game (11.5 rpg). He recently became the second player in school history to grab at least 300 rebounds in a season and sits 15 boards shy of tying Dale Taylor's single-season mark of 337 boards during the 1975-76 campaign. Goss grabbed a school record 21 rebounds in a game earlier this season against IUSB and has had four games of 17 rebounds or more this season. 

ABOUT UIC
UIC is 13-15 overall and 8-7 in Horizon League play to sit No. 5 in the league standings. The Flames are 7-6 at home this season and 3-3 in home Horizon League games with victories over Cleveland State, Wright State and Green Bay. The Flames also boast non-league home wins over Robert Morris, Purdue Fort Wayne and UC Irvine. Tarkus Ferguson leads UIC in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (120) and threes made (52) and is second on the team in steals (34). Marcus Ottey is second on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game and Godwin Boahen is averaging 10.1 points per game. The Flames have held opponents to just 41.4 percent shooting and 29.8 percent from three-point range, but have struggled with turnovers, logging a -3.7 turnovers per game this season. 

PROBABLE STARTERS (based on last game)
G- Mike DePersia (5-11, Fr.) - 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
G- Marcus Burk (6-3, Jr.) - 21.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 37.9 3FG%, 81 3's
F- Jakoby Kemp (6-8, Jr.) - 1.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg
F- Elyjah Goss (6-7, Jr.) - 8.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.1 bpg
F- Zo Tyson (6-9, Gr.) - 3.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 57.1 FG%

KEY RESERVES
G- Jaylen Minnett (6-1, Jr.) - 16.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 97 3's
G- Grant Weatherford (6-2, Jr.) - 9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg
F- Brandon Kenyon (6-10, Soph.) - 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
F- Taveion White (6-7, Fr.) - 1.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg

SERIES NOTES: IUPUI is just 1-7 all-time against UIC following the loss in Indianapolis earlier this season. The Jags lone victory in the series was in Chicago last season by a 66-64 score. 

PRESEASON PICKS: IUPUI was picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League Preseason Polls, just ahead of Cleveland State. Wright State was a near unanimous pick for the league title while Northern Kentucky was picked second. Detroit Mercy sophomore guard Antoine Davis was pegged the league's Preseason Player of the Year and joined on the first team by Jalen Tate (NKU), Xavier Hill-Mais (Oakland), Tarkus Ferguson (UIC) and Loudon Love (Wright State). 

    DAZZLING DUO
    It's hard to talk about IUPUI hoops without exploring the achievements of the junior duo of Marcus Burk and Jaylen Minnett this season. 
    + The duo leads the country in threes made (178 total: Minnett - 97, Burk - 81) and rank Nos. 2 and 5 in the Horizon League in scoring (Burk - 2nd - 21.0 / Minnett - 5th - 16.5 ppg).
    + The duo has seen both score 30 points in a single-game twice this season - a feat has been accomplished just three times all year, and twice by IUPUI's top scorers. 
    Jan. 23 - Austin Peay vs. Tennessee St. - Terry Taylor (37 pts) & Jordyn Adams (37 pts)
    Jan. 25 - IUPUI at Oakland - Marcus Burk (39 pts) & Jaylen Minnett (30 pts)
    Feb. 6 - IUPUI vs. Green Bay - Marcus Burk (33 pts) & Jaylen Minnett (32 pts)
    It marked the first time in the program's Division I era (1998-present) that two IUPUI players tallied 30 or better in the same game. 
    + Burk leads the league in three-point percentage (37.9%) and is third in threes made at 2.89/game and Minnett is tops in threes made (3.46/game) and second in percentage (35.7%).  
    + Burk is fifth among active juniors (35th among all players) in college basketball with 239 career treys and Minnett is seventh on that list (51st overall) with 226 makes. Minnett enters today 13 threes away from tying Brandon Cole for the program's all-time record in threes made.  
    + Burk and Minnett are accounting for the bulk of the Jaguars' offense, having taken 53 percent of the team's field goal attempts (905 of 1703) and 74 percent of the team's three-point attempts (486 of 655). In addition, the duo has accounted for more than 53 percent (1049 of 1966) of the team's total points.

    MR. 1,000
    Junior Marcus Burk netted his 1,000 collegiate point in the Dec. 14 win over Purdue Fort Wayne with a three-point play at the 12:57 mark of the first half. Burk, an Indianapolis-native, tallied 776 in two seasons at Campbell and now has 588 this season, giving him 1,364 in his collegiate career. 
    Here are some more tidbits on Burk:
    -Burk has been IUPUI's top offensive player all season, ranking No. 2 in the Horizon League in scoring (21.0 ppg) and third in the league in threes made (2.89/gm). He also ranks tops in the league in three-point percentage at 37.9 percent.   
    -Burk has four 30-point games this season, including a career-high 39 at Oakland (12-24 FG, 8-15 3's, 7-10 FT) on Jan. 25. Three of the four have come in league play.  
    -While Burk is averaging 21 points per game, no IUPUI player has averaged 20 points per game or better for an entire season since Alex Young averaged 20.4 points per game in 2011-12. Only three players - Odell Bradley (23.1, 2003-04), George Hill (21.5, 2007-08) and Young (20.4, 2011-12) - have averaged better than 20 points per game during the Jaguars' Division I era. 

    NO. 0 HITS 1,000
    Junior Jaylen Minnett became the 24th player in program history to achieve 1,000 career points in an IUPUI uniform on Feb. 6 as part of a career-high 32-point effort. Minnett enters today's game with 1,069 career points, 21st on the program's all-time list. He is the 16th player to hit for 1,000 points in three seasons or less. 
    He's also recently moved into second on the program's all-time list in threes made:
    1.) Brandon Cole        238    2002-06
    2.) Jaylen Minnett    226    2017-pres.
    3.) Rodney Thomas    215    1996-00
    4.) Carlos Knox        208    1994-98
    5.) Alex Young        202    2008-12
     
    Some other tidbits on Minnett include: 
    -He currently owns the nation's second-longest streak of consecutive games with at least one made three at 64 games... Minnett made at least one trey in all 33 games last season and the final three games of the 2017-18 season... the last time Minnett went without a three in a game was against Oakland on Feb. 19, 2018 when he was held without a triple in 14 minutes.
    Here's the list of the longest streaks of threes made in NCAA Division I history:
     1.) Cory Bradford (Illinois)    ended Feb. 10, 2001    88 straight games / B10 record
    2.) Mack Smith (Eastern Ill.)    active streak    75 straight games / OVC record
    3.) Wally Lancaster (Va. Tech)    ended 1989    73 straight games / ACC record
    4.) Marshall Henderson (Ole Miss)    ended 2014    66 straight games / SEC record
    t-5.) Jaylen Minnett (IUPUI)    active streak    64 straight games / HL record
    t-5.) Justin Jaworski (Lafayette)    ended 2020    64 straight games / Patriot record
    t-7.) Fletcher Magee (Wofford)    ended 2018    60 straight games / SoCon record
    t-7.) Pat Bradley (Arkansas)    ended 1998    60 straight games
    
    -Minnett's 78 3's made last season was the 7th-highest single-season total in IUPUI history and his 97 this season are second-most in school history. 
    -His 7.1 ppg scoring average as a freshman in 2017-18 was the highest by an IUPUI rookie since Alex Young average 10.8 points per game in 2008-09.
    -His 51 made 3's in 2017-18 were the most by an IUPUI freshman in the program's Division I era (1998-present).  

    MR. WINDEX
    Junior Elyjah Goss is currently second in the nation with 322 rebounds and 15 shy of tying the program's single-season record of 337 by Dale Taylor in 1975-76. He ranks No. 6 nationally in rebounding at 11.5 per contest and owns five of the seven highest single-game totals in the Horizon League this season, including grabbing a school record 21 against IUSB (Dec. 10), 18 against Youngstown State (Dec. 28) and at Oakland (Jan. 25) and 17 rebounds twice. His 21 boards against IUSB is tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season. 
    All total, Goss has led the Jaguars in rebounds in 25 of the team's 28 games and 21-in-a-row. 
    Five games into this season, he was averaging 6.0 rebounds per game, but has since grabbed at least 10 boards in 18 of the Jaguars' 23 games and all but one league contest. In league play, Goss leads the league in rebounding (13.4 rpg) and has seven double-doubles in 15 games. He now has 13 career double-doubles, including 10 this season, which is second-most in a season in IUPUI's Division I era.   

    SLIM MARGINS
    Following the Feb. 8 80-79 overtime loss to Milwaukee, IUPUI is now 1-8 this season in games decided by two possessions (six points) or fewer and 1-4 in Horizon League games decided by six or less. The Jaguars' lone victory this season in that category was the 89-85 overtime win at Oakland on Jan. 25.  

    LOTS O' KIDS
    IUPUI packed in more than 2,000 third-graders at Thursday's 3rd annual NCAA 'Readers Are Leaders' game to celebrate a yearlong partnership and commitment to reading. IUPUI is now 2-1 in the 'Readers Are Leaders' games and have upped the attendance number in each of the three years. Below are the results from the three events.
    Feb. 6, 2020 - Green Bay 91, IUPUI 85 // attendance 2,394
    Jan. 24, 2019 - IUPUI 73, Oakland 71 // attendance 2,285
    Feb. 23, 2018 - IUPUI 66, Wright State 56 // attendance 2,263    

    DUELING DOUBLE-DUBS
    Both Marcus Burk (25 pts, 10 reb) and Elyjah Goss (15 pts, 12 reb), had double-doubles in the Jan. 23 loss at Detroit Mercy. It marked the 1st time two IUPUI players had a double-double in the same game since Jan. 2, 2014 when Donovan Gibbs (32 pts, 11 reb) and Khufu Najee (11 pts, 11 reb) both had double-doubles in a win over Judson. 

    BETTER THAN ALL THE REST
    IUPUI's early season win at South Florida (70-53 on Nov. 13) was widely considered the best non-conference victory by a Horizon League team this season. The Jags entered play as a 17-point underdog before defeating the AAC foe by 17 points. In addition, it was IUPUI's first-ever victory over an AAC opponent in program history. 
    IUPUI has two wins this season as a double-digit underdog as IUPUI was a 10-point underdog prior to beating Green Bay, 93-78. 

    IN LEAGUE PLAY
    Through 15 Horizon League games, here are some numbers that jump out.  
    -Offensively, IUPUI is ranked fourth in the league in scoring at 74.5 points per game, but yielding a league-worst 84.1 points per game. Foes are shooting 46.2 percent against the Jags and a league-best 41 percent from three-point range and averaging 9.9 made threes per game.
    -Burk leads the league in scoring at 23.1 points per game while Minnett is third at 19.1 points per game. Minnett leads the league in threes made (3.93/game) and is second in three-point percentage (36.0%) while Burk is third in percentage (33.6%) and fourth in makes (2.67/game). Minnett ranks fourth in the league in free throw shooting at 86.0% and Burk is tenth at 77.9%. 
    -Goss leads the league in rebounding at 13.33 rebounds per game and tied for the league lead with seven double-doubles. He leads the league in both offensive (4.47) and defensive (8.87) rebounding.  
    -Freshman Mike DePersia has 51 assists against just 18 turnovers in league games and is second in the league with a 2.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.  As a team, IUPUI has 223 assists against 197 turnovers for a 1.13 a/to ratio, ranking fifth best in the league. However, IUPUI opponents have a robust 1.32 a/to ratio in league games.  
    -Four IUPUI players - Burk (2nd - 37.2), Minnett (3rd - 36.5), Weatherford (4th - 36.0) and Goss (6th - 35.3) - all rank among the league's top six in minutes played in league play. 

    THE BEST ABILITY...
    ...is availability. IUPUI players have struggled to stay healthy and available this season as only five players - Burk, Minnett, DePersia, Goss and Weatherford - have played all 28 games. Redshirt freshman Marlon Taylor is the only other IUPUI player who has been available for all 28 games. 

     STORY TELLER
    In IUPUI's six wins this season, the Jags have held opponents to 37 percent shooting overall and 28 percent from three-point range while making 7.7 threes per game. 
    In the Jaguars' 22 losses, foes have shot 48.6 percent overall and 40 percent from beyond the arc while making 9.5 threes per game. Eleven of the 22 opponents to have beaten the Jags have shot 50 percent or better from the floor. 

    FREEBIES
    IUPUI enters play ranked 325th of 350 teams in free throw percentage at 64.8 percent, which is on pace to be the lowest mark in the program's Division I era. The current low mark was a 65.4 percentage for the 2008-09 season. The lowest single-season mark on record in program history was a 62.7 percentage in the 1976-77 campaign. 

    ...HOWEVER
    Since the Dec. 28 Youngstown State loss in the Horizon League opener in which IUPUI made just 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) at the foul line, IUPUI has been efficient at the stripe. Since then, IUPUI is a combined 209-of-297 (70.3 percent) in the last 14 games. 

    FULL 40
    Junior Jaylen Minnett's 40-minute effort at Green Bay on Jan. 5 was the first full 40 posted by an IUPUI player in a non-overtime game since Marcellus Barksdale played all 40 minutes at Western Illinois on Mar. 1, 2014. 

    STARTERS DOING IT ALL
    Head coach Byron Rimm has shown a reluctance to delve too deeply into his bench as IUPUI reserves accounted for just 10.9 points per game this season. IUPUI is getting just more than 15 percent of its points from reserves and has had 14 games in which the bench has provided fewer than 10 points. The IUPUI bench has outscored the opposition's just twice this season as opponents' benches are averaging 23.6 points per game against the Jags. 
    The Jags' bench has scored a season-high 29 points at Wright State on Feb. 16, fueled by Minnett coming off the bench for 18 and Weatherford scoring nine.  

    GRADE CHECKS
    Six different Jaguars posted a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the fall - Mike DePersia, Elyjah Goss, Brandon Kenyon, Sawyer Stoltz, Grant Weatherford and Taveion White. Weatherford, who is pursuing his Master's degree in Organizational Leadership, had the team's top GPA for the fall at 3.67. Kenyon and Weatherford were recently named to the Horizon League's Academic Honor Roll for the fall semester. 
 
BASKETBALL CENTRAL: IUPUI will be a big part of the center of the college basketball universe this March as the 2020 Horizon League Championships will be played at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Mar. 9-10 and the department will later serve as institutional co-host of an NCAA Men's Basketball Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium on Mar. 26-28, alongside the Horizon League and Indiana Sports Corporation. Both the men's and women's Horizon League Semifinals (Mar. 9) and Championship games (Mar. 10) will be played at Indiana Farmers Coliseum as 2020 marks the first of a three-year rotation.